Good News On Knife Legislation Front

The American Knife & Tool Institute reports that right now some very good things are happening on the knife legislation front. If you live in one of the following states, take action to let your representatives know they should support these knife-friendly bills.

Alaska – State Representative Mark Neuman introduced bill H 55 to Section 1. AS 11.81.900(b) to change Alaska’s definitions of gravity knife and switchblade to incorporate AKTI’s bias toward closure language successfully used in California, Texas, and in amending the 1958 Federal Switchblade Act in 2009. The bill would add to the description of both gravity knife and switchblade knife that “does not include a knife that has a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure that requires a person to apply exertion to the blade by hand, wrist, or arm to overcome the bias toward closure and open or release the blade.” This bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee. Alaska residents – Please encourage your representatives to move this bill along and approve it.

Iowa – HSB 219 is a provision to change Iowa’s weapon law to reflect intent. The bill eliminates current law that provides that a person, who is not involved in the commission of a crime, who goes armed with a knife concealed on the person, commits either an aggravated misdemeanor if the knife has a blade exceeding eight inches or a serious misdemeanor if the knife has a blade between five and eight inches. This bill was introduced by Chairman Sands of the Iowa House Ways and Means Committee and is the right step to making crime not based on the possession of a knife, but on the intent of the criminal. Let your representatives know this is a positive bill and you want their yes vote.

New Hampshire – Rep. Jenn Coffey’s HB 544 bill passed the NH House on March 15th and success in the NH Senate would mean that knives are added to the list of firearms, ammunition, etc. that only the state has authority over. Cities and counties would not be able to make more restrictive laws than the State of New Hampshire – which has no knife law! AKTI applauds her efforts on behalf of citizens of New Hampshire and encourages them to write their state senators to support passage of this bill.

Utah – On March 23, Utah Govenor Herbert signed into law H 271 that reserves to the state the authority to regulate knives and prohibits a municipaltiy, county or a local district from enacting any ordinance or criminal penalty greater than state regulations or penalties. Utah residents can now travel throughout their state without concern of violating an unknown local law.

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